Land buy adds to creek preserve

Escondido Creek flows through Harmony Grove, which is to be the eastern end of a continuous wildlife corridor extending to Carlsbad. San Diego County is buying two parcels totaling 179 acres near the creek, in addition to 863 acres already acquired, to protect the creek's watershed and wildlife. (John Gastaldo / Union-Tribune)

Escondido Creek flows through Harmony Grove, which is to be the eastern end of a continuous wildlife corridor extending to Carlsbad. San Diego County is buying two parcels totaling 179 acres near the creek, in addition to 863 acres already acquired, to protect the creek's watershed and wildlife. (John Gastaldo / Union-Tribune)

"With these plans, we saved the habitat," county parks official Trish Boaz said of the Escondido Creek-area purchases. (John Gastaldo / Union-Tribune)

HIGHLIGHTS

Wildlife habitat purchase along Escondido Creek:
The county is buying 179 acres near Escondido Creek for preservation, adding to the 863 acres already acquired to protect the creek's watershed and its wildlife.

Significance:
Formation of a continuous wildlife corridor from Harmony Grove to Carlsbad. Escondido Creek is home to various animal and plant species.

Recreation:
Trails are in Del Dios Highlands Preserve, which overlooks Lake Hodges. The land is a major piece of the Escondido Creek wildlife preserve. Trails are being planned for Sage Hill Preserve, north of Elfin Forest Road, and in part of the 179-acre addition.

Source: County Department of Parks and Recreation

ESCONDIDO 
The county is acquiring 179 acres in Harmony Grove in one of the last large purchases to complete a wildlife corridor for the threatened gnatcatcher bird and disappearing coastal sage scrub.

The land consists of 60 acres between Del Dios Highway and Harmony Grove Road, and 119 acres north of Harmony Grove Road just outside the city of Escondido.

The parcels cost $1.7 million and $3.2 million, respectively. The county Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of the 60 acres last week and the purchase of the 119 acres Wednesday.

The county is paying for the purchases with capital project funds set aside for habitat acquisition.

The acquisitions are part of an ongoing effort to preserve land along Escondido Creek, home to the threatened California gnatcatcher and the red-tailed hawk, Cooper's hawk, reptiles and mammals, said Trish Boaz, chief of the county Department of Parks and Recreation's resource management division.

“Escondido Creek is recognized at the state level as a very important area to preserve, not only because of the gnatcatcher but also because the county is losing so much coastal sage scrub,” Boaz said. “It is on the verge of being listed as an endangered species. With these plans, we saved the habitat.”

The land acquisitions began in 1998, when it became clear that development would increasingly encroach on wildlife habitat along the creek, Boaz said.

Over the years, the county, with the help of nonprofit agencies such as the Escondido Creek Conservancy, has accumulated 863 acres. It paid $22 million, most which came from state and federal grants.

Adding the latest 179 acres, known as the Pascoe and Family Stations properties, will bring the total acreage to 1,042.

Over the next few years, the county plans to buy an additional 500 to 1,000 acres, Boaz said.

Already, negotiations are under way with owners of several parcels near the 179 acres. Those owners control the 78-acre Cielo Azul, 500-acre Cielo del Norte, 180-acre Perkins, 40-acre Mendocino and 150-acre Helix-Lanbron properties.

Boaz said that the market for and price of nature preserves have stayed strong because of demand, while the residential real estate market crashed.

For instance, an acre of coastal sage scrub costs $15,000 to $25,000, and an acre of vernal pools and wetland habitat costs $30,000 to $40,000.